כתיבה וחתימה טובה תרצ"א

שנה טובה card
Send by Dally to Opi Kaufman his future father-in-law
ערב ראש השנה תרצ"א
Edwin Stroh
Representitive of the firm of M. Sternfeld
Wishes a כתיבה וחתימה טובה

Postmark: Wien IX.22.30
Family Lazar Kaufmann
Wien
II. Gr. Schiffgasse 18

Buying Seats for Yomim Noraim

The Schiffschul in Vienna
קהל עדת ישראל
The Strohs sat near the מזרח וואנט

 in the second row from the front

on the right hand side of the Shul

In many communities it is customary to "buy" seats in the men and women's sections of the Shul for the Yomim Noraim. 

The Strohs in Vienna were mispalelim in the famous עדת ישראל Schiffschull. Dally's father Dov (Berthold) was one of the Gaboim there. 

Copy of the Schifschull תקנות (printed in 1908)
Rules pertaining to the leasing of seats

The תקנות of the Schifschull were printed in a small pamphlet, in 1908, which we found very interesting. We are translating the תקנות pertaining to the leasing of the seats.

Leasing of Seats

41) The leasing of the Seats in the Schul is under the auspices of the acting Gaboim, as long as they do not contradict the תקנות. 

42) The possessor of the seat has the right to request the שמש to free up his seat if it is occupied by someone else.

43) The first three rows in the middle section and the corresponding four rows on the side sections are reserved, at an agreed upon higher price, for worthy בעלי בתים of the community. In case of necessity, the chairman has the right to sell the seats at a reduced rate. The גבאים in consultation with the chairman will decide regarding seats that have not been sold. 

Dally's Schul Eintrittskarte (Entrance Card)
For ימים נוראים of the year 5699 (1938-9)
The Schifschul was destroyed on Kristallnacht by the Nazi's ימ"ש
ט"ז מרחשון תרצ"ט (Nov. 10, !938)
 Dally & Ma fled Vienna in December 1938

Reverse of the Schul Eintrittskarte
With excerpts of the Schul Takanos
translated below

Translation:

(front of card)

This card must be shown upon demand each time one uses the Schul, particularly on ראש השנה and יום כיפור. Only the leaser whose name appears on this card may make use of this seat.

It is prohibited to sell or lease this seat further. If one sells the seat he losses his rights in the future.

The rights for this seat are valid for this year only, and there may be no legal claims for the future.  

(reverse of cards) 

Excerpts from the Schul Takanos

Each visitor of the Schul is required, in the general interest, to fulfill all the Schul Takanos meticulously.

It is officially forbidden to linger in the aisles. The שמשים will be present to strictly enforce these rules.  

It is not permissible to place articles of clothing on the benches; there is a cloakroom available for the use of seat holders.

It is strictly forbidden to enter the Schul on יום כיפור or תשעה באב with leather shoes.

The provisions regarding the use of the seats are posted by the officers on the bulletin board.

Comments or complaints may be brought to the Schul officers whose names are posted at the entrance of the Schul. 

Omi's (Ma's mother's) Eintrittskarte (Entrance Card)
For ימים נוראים of the year 5698 (1937-8)
  Opi & Omi fled Vienna in 1939

Reverse of the Schul Eintrittskarte
With excerpts of the Schul Takanos
translated above

How do you spell Silka?

"This set belongs to the first baby
that is named after me.
With love,
Ma"

בלי עין הרע, there are already a number of Ma’s descendant’s named after her.  Her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren called her Ma. Relatives and friends called her Tante Cilla, Aunty Cilla, or just Cilla. We don’t know of any one who called her by her proper Yiddish name Silka.

After Ma passed away there was much discussion as to the proper spelling of the name Silka. The name Silka is actually Yiddish, not לשון הקודש. (It may be a variant of Shulamis). 

On Ma's grandmother's מצבה
the name is spelled סולקה

Ma was named after her maternal grandmother Silka Deutsch nee Schick. Silka Deutsch passed away in 1903 and is buried in Vienna. If we take a look at Ma's grandmother's מצבה we will notice that Silka is spelled סולקה, with a סמ"ך and a ווא"ו at the beginning and a ה"א at the end.

Ma at the קברים of her parents
Notice שם אמה צילקא
Written on the bottom of Ma's mother's מצבה

Now, if we look at Ma’s mother’s מצבה in the Vienner section of the בית החיים in Woodbridge N.J., we will notice that her grandmother’s name is spelled צילקא, with a צדי"ק and a יו"ד at the beginning and an אל"ף at the end.

The בית שמואל in Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer when discussing the name Silka writes that the proper spelling is, סילקא או סולקא או זולקא. The name should definitely end with an אל"ף. He then adds that the various spellings are depended on the different pronunciations of the name. Based on this it seems that the spelling on the מצבות mentioned above are incorrect.

On Ma's מצבה
her name is spelled סילקא

On Ma’s מצבה her name is spelled סילקא, with a סמ"ך and a יו"ד at the beginning and an אל"ף at the end. The assumption was that since her name was pronounced Silka and not Sulka, therefore according to the בית שמואל mentioned above, it should be spelled סילקא.

On Ma's כתובה
her name is spelled סולקא

When we later found Ma’s כתובה, which was probably prepared by הר' ישעי' פירשט זצ"ל the Rav of the Schiffschull in Vienna, we found that her name was spelled סולקא, with a סמ"ך and a ווא"ו at the beginning and an אל"ף at the end.

Ma's signature סולקא

The reason for this may be that in Vienna the name was pronounced with a slightly different accent, Rabbi Furst may also have been aware that the name was actually סולקא with a ווא"ו. 

Ma’s grandfather after whose wife Ma was named was also at the חתונה, he may have notified Rabbi Furst that the name was סולקה, which is how he had it inscribed on his wife’s מצבה. (Although the ה"א at the end is definitely incorrect.)

Regards from Slotfina 1941

Ma's grandfather Yitzchok Nachman Kaufman
Grete Bauer nee Kaufman (Ma's sister)
Hersh Kaufman (Ma's uncle)
Slotfina 1926

Ma’s parents Opi (Lazar Kaufmann) and Omi (Malvine מלכה), arrived in the United States in 1940. Their daughters, Cilla (Ma) and Ditha (Aunty) and their families, had arrived some time earlier. The youngest daughter Grete, her husband Erno Bauer and family remained in Europe. 

In September 1941 Grete who was living in Szombathely, Hungary traveled with her daughter Matika to visit her grandfather (Opi's father) Yitzchok Nachman Kaufman in Slotfina (today Solotvyno, Ukraine).

Grete sent a letter from Slotfina to her parents Opi and Omi in America. The Slotfiner grossvater, Yitzchok Nachman added a few lines in Yiddish at the end of the letter. He also sends regards to his children and their families who had settled in the United States many years earlier.

Letter sent by Yitzchok Nachman from Slotfina
to his son Lazar (Ma's father, Opi)
אלול תש"א

טייער קינדער לייזער עט ליבע מאלוויען

איער קאנט אייך דענקען וואס אָפרייט די טייערע גרעטע האט אנש פערשאפין, אויך מיט איערע  [זיסע?] טאכטער מאטיליע, אם בעראפין איז זי זיס. [זיי] זענען ב"ה גיזונד. דאס זעלבע זאלין מיר פון אייך [נאר?] הערען. מיר גריסען אייך צי פיעל מאל. וואס מאכען אייערע זיסיע קינדער? וויא געט ... פיר דער ליבא צילשיא, דיטויא מיט איערין ליבען קינד?

איך גריסיע אויך מיינע ליבע קינדער:
ליבע חוה עט פאמליע

ליבער אברהם יהודא עט פאמיליע

ליבע משה ליב עט פאמליע

פון אייער פאטיר איציק נחמן קויפמאן

איציק נחמן קויפמאן

English translation:

Precious Children Lazer and Dear Malvine,

You can imagine how much we enjoyed dear Grete. We also enjoyed her sweet daughter Matile, she is umberufen sweet. They are ב"ה well. May we hear the same from you. We are sending you many regards. How are your sweet children? How are things with Dear Cilla, Dita and her child [Eva Bauer- Stief]? 

I am sending regards to my dear children:
dear Chava and family,
dear Avrahom Yehuda and family,
dear Moshe Leib and family.

From your father Itzik Nachman Kaufman

This visit is also mentioned in a letter that Grete sent to Opi and Omi on her return from Slotfina see here. It was probably the last time that Grete saw her Grandfather.

Less than three years later, Yitzchok Nachman, his dear granddaughter Grete and her children, Matika and Eva shared the same tragic fate as millions of Europe's Jews הי"ד.

יאהרצייט ר"ח סיון

Yitzchok Nachman Kaufmann הי"ד
Ma's father's father
The Slotfiner Grossvater
יאהרצייט ר"ח סיון

Yitzchok Nachman's Yahrzeit is ר"ח סיון. He is among the many קדושי אונגארן who were murdered by the Nazis ימח שמם in the spring of 1944.

Following is a description of the deportation of the Jews of Yitzchok Nachman's shtetl, Slotfina (today Solotvyno, Ukraine). It is loosely translated from ספר הזכרון לקהלת מארמאראש.

The Slotfina Ghetto was liquidated, and its inhabitants were deported to Auschwitz in two transports. The first transport left on Shabbos the 27^th of Iyar 1944. The second transport left the following Tuesday ר"ח סיון. 

Before the deportation the Jews were forced into the local school and searched for anything of value. They underwent degrading and cruel treatment by the hands of the Nazis ימ"ש. Others were brought to the local airport from where they were deported. They were forced to run to the train station some two kilometers from town dragging their children and packages.

The railway wagons were overloaded with some 75-85 persons per wagon. As they were forced into the wagons members of families were separated and it was a heart wrenching scene. The heartless Hungarian Gendarmes were not moved in the slightest ימח שמם.

Many קדושים died in the wagons on the way to Auschwitz. 


The Rav הרה"צ ר' חיים יצחק אייזק האלבערשטאם הי"ד spoke דברי תורה in his wagon and talked much about the concept of קידוש השם.

In one wagon the Vizhnitzer Chosid R’ Bendit Cahana הי"ד danced a חסידישע ריקוד, and in the crowded wagon people made place for him, he breathed inspiration into their souls.

Our Great Grandfather, Ma’s father Yitzchok Nachman Kaufman, and many members of his family were among the קדושים of Slotfina who were murdered by the Nazi’s ימח שמם.

May Hashem avenge his blood and may he be a מליץ יושר for all his many descendants.

Weinkellerei David Stroh & Sohn - The Stroh Winery

The young man sitting at the desk is
Dally's Uncle Emil (מנחם) Stroh (1880-1958?).

Since U. Emil was born in 1880 is it possible that the older man standing
is his father David Stroh (1834-1905),
and the picture was taken before 1905.
The young fellow standing in the back left may be
Dally's father Berthold Stroh.
The S on the barrels probably stands for Stroh
Photo courtesy of Mr. Stern of Monsey, NY (Uncle Emil's nephew)
If any one has any further info. please let us know.

David Stroh, Dally's grandfather was a wine merchant. When Ma was asked if the Strohs' wine was kosher, she would say, no, it was nesech (יין נסך).

Many תשובות have been written on the subject of Jews dealing with non-kosher wine. Wine production was a very common means of income for Ashkenazi Jews as early as the times of the Rishonim.

Many families in Eisenstadt were vintners of fine wine. Among them was the well known Wolf Family, cousins of the Strohs, who had a world famous winery located in the Jewish quarter of Eisenstadt. 

Oesterreichische Weinkellerei
Himberg
an der Staatsbahn
David Stroh's Sohne
Wien, II, Haidgasse 10
Weinhandlung und Weingutsbesitzer
Gegrundet 1820
K.K. Oster. Postspark Cto. No. 828779
Kgl. Ung. Postsparc Conto No. 1212
Telegramme: David Stroh Wien II/1

Austrian wine cellars
Himberg at the State Railway
David Stroh's Sons
Vienna Second District
10 Haidgasse
Wine dealers and winery owners
Established 1820
Austrian Kaiser Post Park Account no. 828779
Hungarian Royal Post Park Account no. 1212
Telegrams: David Stroh Vienna II/1

A label from a bottle of Stroh's wine

Not much is known about the Stroh winery. On a copy of a bottle label and on a company letterhead that Ma had, it states that the winery was founded in 1820. It is not clear if the Strohs were the original founders.

Entries in the catalog of the Austrian-Hungarian Merchants 1890

In an 1890 catalog of Austrian-Hungarian merchants, mention is made of the Stroh winery in Kismarton (Hungarian name for Eisenstadt). At that time the winery was run by David Stroh. He was also selling 8 year old slivovitz. Later the winery was called David Stroh & Sons, and eventually David Stroh's sons.

Another photo of The Stroh Winery
The man in the center on the left is Dally's Uncle Willy Stroh.
Notice the sign on the upper right
you can see the last few letter of Kellerei and the hn of Sohn.
Apparently this photo was taken years after the previous photo.
The W.S. on the barrels is for William Stroh
who was running the winery at the time.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Lamm of Efrat, Eretz Yisroel (a Figdor descendant)

We know that David Stroh's son-in-law, Uncle Sigmund Figdor also worked for the winery at one time. Uncles Willy and Emil Stroh were also in the business, we don't know if Dally's father Berthold was also involved in wine making. Until when the winery was active has not yet been ascertained.

The winery was located in Himberg, a town just south of Vienna. From the letterhead and from David Stroh's death record it is apparent that in the first decade of the twentieth century there business office at 10 Haidgasse in the second District of Vienna. That house was inhabited by Dally's parents until they fled Vienna in 1939.

Dally saying L'chaim at a Stroh simchah
1976

It is interesting to note that when Dally arrived in the United States one of his first business ventures was the sale of wine. Dally was a good salesman. He would travel by subway with Ma and they would sell kosher wine to Dally's many acquaintances. As Ma would say, Dally knew just so many people.   

The Children of Zev Yehuda (Opi) Deutsch

Opi Deutsch and two of his granddaughters
Dita Bauer nee Kaufman (l)
Irene Richter nee Kohn (r)
Baden bei Wien, Austria 1930

Ma's grandparents Zev Yehuda and Sulka Deutsch had five children. About them here and here

_______________________________________

Ma's Tante Therese nee Deutsch הי"ד and Uncle Rudolf Kohn הי"ד
1- Deszo  2- Edi  4- Bobo - Joe  3- Irene Richter
5- Martha הי"דi 6- Zigel  7- Grete הי"ד
Vienna 1927

1. רבקה - Therese הי"ד the wife of ראובן בן רפאל הכהן - Rudolf (Rudy) Kohn הי"ד.
   
   

   

   Ma's Uncle Rudy Kohn's stamp

   
   
   ראובן כהן was one of the חשובע בעלי בתים and a board member in the Schiffschul. After the Schiffschul was destroyed by the Nazis, he maintained a Minyan in his home במסירת נפש, until 1941. Uncle Rudy (who was a Kohen), would take all the silver coins he received for performing Pidyon Habens and have them melted down and formed into Menorahs.  He would then give these Menorahs as presents to various relatives. see here
   • דוד - Deszo. His wife's name was Rita. They lived in Vienna (-1996).
   • משה אליהו - Edi. Married Leah Lange. Vienna - London.
   • יוסף חיים - Joe (1911-2008) Vienna - Vineland, NJ - Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
   • חנה - Irene (1913-1993) married פנחס - Paul (1906-1991) Richter. Vienna - Vineland, NJ - Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
   • סולקא - Martha הי"ד. Perished in holocaust with two children.
   • שמואל יונתן - Zigel. Vienna - USA - Italy - Israel.
   • גיטל חיה - Grete הי"ד.
     
     _______________________________________
     
     
     

   

   Ma's Uncle Leopold Deutsch
   Vienna circa 1910

2. אריה - Leopold
   
   _______________________________________
   
   
   

   

   Ma's Uncle Adolf and Tante Rosa Deutch
   1950

3. אהרן - Adolf - Arthur. His wife's name was Rosa. They lived in Switzerland.
   • Erenst
   • daughter
     
     _______________________________________
     
     
4. יונתן - Johan.
   
   _______________________________________
   
   

   

   מלכה - Malvine Kaufman nee Deutsch
   Ma's mother with her three daughters
   Greta (l), Dita (c), Ma (r)
   Vienna June 16, 1920

5. מלכה - Malvine (Omi). Married אליעזר - Lajos - Lazar (Opi) Kaufman.
   
   • סולקא - Cilla (Ma) married דוד - Edwin (Dally) Stroh
   • טויבא - Dita (Aunty) married ישראל - Siegfried (Fritz) Bauer
   • חנה - Greta הי"ד married Erno Bauer 

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Slide show of the Deutsch Family Album